The other night, Highland Wine and DBA Barbecue hosted a great wine-tasting centered around wine-pairing with… you guessed it… BBQ! It was really fun, and I enjoyed snacking (making a meal) on the big variety of appetizers and sampler dishes they brought out.

Here’s what we tried:

N.V. Cavas Hill Brut Rose Reserva Artesania Cava ($12) to go with pulled pork and smoked chicken – This was my favorite wine of the night. Stunningly delicious – so fresh and crisp with light sweetness. Now that the weather’s getting chillier, this was a punch of springtime. I’m going back for some bottles of this!

2007 Petit Rimauresq Rose Grenache/Cinsault (Provence, France: $15) with wings and smoked turkey – This rose was more dense and mellow compared to the first wine. Less spring-like and crisp, it reminded me more of baked fruit, maybe like apricots in its heavier qualities. Not bad, but I’d rather have two bottles of the first one and skip this one next time.

2008 Bauer Haus Riesling QBA (Nahe, Germany: $13) to accompany white cheese and corn muffins with honey butter – SUPER SWEET! If your friend likes White Zinfandel, give her this instead. A little of this sweet wine would go a long way for me, but I think it would be really awesome with a spicy asian dish. I’d love a slightly less sweet version of this wine, but I would definitely not turn down a glass of this Riesling.

2008 Terra Antiga Vinho Verde (Portugal: $13) to pair with oysters on the half shell – Ah, one of my new favorite wines from this summer. It’s like honeysuckle. Go get a bottle if you haven’t already. It’s awesome. I didn’t try it with the oysters (they were out of season, and I don’t like raw oysters… enough said)

2007 Winzer Krems Gruner Veltliner (Austria: $13) with bacon wrapped shrimp and boiled peanuts – Nice light sweetness but high on the citrus flavors. It paired well with the shrimp, but overall I wanted less citrus and less acid.

2006 Flora Springs Barrel Fermented Chardonnay (Napa, CA: $21) to go with deviled eggs – I said “no, thanks” to the deviled eggs, but for folks who like a mild oaky, buttery Chardonnay, you’ll like this Flora Springs. For non-oaky, non-buttery Charddonay fans, skip this one and get a Le Chat Rouge instead.

2007 Umani Ronchi Montepulciano D’Abruzzo (Italy: $13) to accompany frog legs and grilled portabella sandwich – This was my favorite red wine of the tasting. It was mild and fruit-forward, not overpowering, just a great humble wine. I see a few bottles of this coming my way soon.

2007 Finca El Origen Malbec Reserva Mendoza (Argentina: $11) to pair with pulled pork salad – This wine packed a punch in terms of jammy and spicy. I didn’t dislike it but I never embraced it either.

2008 Penelop Sanchez tinto Joven (Spain: $14) with brunswick stew – As with most grenaches, the high tannins didn’t deliver the experience I wanted. When paired with a heavy stew, the tannins would be balanced better, but still…

2007 R&B Swingsville Zinfandel ($12) with andouille sausage, red beans, and rice – I think I tried this wine back in the summer at the Smyrna Wine Festival. Recommended.

2006 Vaca Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Small Lot Reserve ($14) with Texas beef brisket – EXCELLENT Cab. Medium tannins (but goes great with food), some spice but not overly so, and full-flavored. Go get some!

2005 d’Arenberg d’Arry’s Original Shiraz-Grenache (Australia: $17) to parnter wth Carolina-style spare ribs – This wine was enjoyable and it definitely goes great with a big piece of meat.

2007 Opolo Vineyards Summit Creek Zinfandel ($21) paired with baby back ribs – Reminded me of a port in its dessert wine similarities. Lots of caramel flavors. I prefer a lighter zinfandel to this dessert bomb but it was fun to drink. Skip mentioned it would pair with chocolate really well… I might have to try that one at some point. A Vosges Barcelona Bar would do the trick.